Variable ratio transmission



Oct. 29, 1940. p REEVES Q 2,219,580

VARIABLE RATIO TR ANSHISSION Filed Jan. 8. 195a INVENTOR. 2! 0. ae-m, BY'

lated objects, my invention may Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STATE VARIABLE RATIO Paul B. Reeves, Columbus,

Pulley Company, Columbus, 11111.,

of Indiana TRANSMISSION Ind.,assignr to Reeves a corporation Application January s, 1938, Serial No. 183,970

3 Claims.

The present application relates to a variable ratio transmission unit; and more specifically to a composite driving unit of such character as to provide an'incrementally variable output speed from a constant speed motor comprising an ele-' ment of the unit.

The primary object of the invention is-toimprove and refine details of constructions of the generalcharacter of those to which the inven tion pertains. Further objects of 'the invention will appear as the description proceedsL I To the accomplishment of the abo e and rebe embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawing, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawing is illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

The single figure is a plan view of a unit constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it

will be seen that the unit comprises a base9 upon which is mounted a motor Illhaving spindle I I to which is fixed a coned disc I2 provided with an axially extending hub I3 projecting from the coned face thereof. A mating disc I4 is axially slidably mounted upon said hub I3; and is formed to support a thrust bearing I5.

Journalled in suitable bearings carried by the base is a driven shaft I6 substantially parallel with the motor spindle II. A coned disc I1 is fixed to said shaft I6, said disc I1 facing in a direction opposite that in which the disc l2 faces. Said disc I1 is provided with an axially extending hub I8 projecting from the coned face thereof and a mating coned disc I9 is axially shiftably mounted upon said hub I8, said disc I9 operatively supporting a thrust bearing 29.

It will be apparent that the discs I2 and I4 cooperate to form an expansible V drivingpulley, and that the discs I1 and I9 cooperate to form an expansible V driven pulley. A belt 2I provides a driving connection between said pulleys.

Bearings 22 and 23, supported upon the base 9, provide a journalled mounting for a screw shaft 24 which, as is clearly illustrated, is separated from the motor spindle II by the driven shaft I6. Adjacent its left-hand end, said screw shaft is formed with right-hand threads 25, while adjacent its right-hand end, said screw shaft is provided with left-hand threads 26. A hand wheel 21 is carried by the screw shaft 24 beyond the bearing 22.

An adjusting shaft 28 is supported in bearings 29 and 33 mounted on the base 9. Said adjust-' ing shaft 28 is positioned between the motor spindle II and the driven shaft I6, an'dlies in a plane parallel to said spindle and to said shaft 6 andperpendicular to the common plane of said spindle and said shaft. Upon a portionof the adjusting shaft 28 which is provided with righthand threads, there is threadedly mounted a nut carrying a pin 3| with which is pivotally associatedrone' end of a link l3! carrying at its opposite end a pin 23I A bracket I32 is pivotally connected with said pin 23E and is pivotally mounted on a fulcrum 32 carried by a collar slidably mounted on the untlireaded portion of the 5 shaft 29; and a lever 33 is pivotally mounted, intermediate its ends; upon said bracket 132. It will be noted that the fulcrum pins 3| and 32 lie in the plane above defined. A nut 34 isthreadedly'mounted upon the threaded section go of thescrew shaft 24, and said nut carries a projection operatively received in a notch 35 in one end of the lever 33. The opposite end of said lever 33 is operatively engaged, as at 33, with the thrust bearing 65. g5"

' Asecond fulcrum pin 31 is carried by a nut threadedly mounted upon a portion of the adjusting shaft 28 which is formed with left-hand threads; and a link I31 is pivotally associated at one end with said pin and carries a pin 231 at so its opposite end. A bracket I38 is pivotally connected with said pin 231 and is pivotally mounted on a fulcrum 38 carried by a collar slidably mounted on the unthreaded portion of the shaft 28. It will be noted that the fulcrum pins 31 35 and 38 likewise lie in said plane above defined, and that they are parallel with the pins 3| and 32. A second lever 39 is pivotally mounted, at one end, upon the bracket I38. A second nut 48 is threadedly mounted upon the threaded portion 40 26 of the screw shaft 24, and carries a projection operatively received in a notch 41 in the opposite end of the lever 39. At a point intermediate its ends, the lever 39 is operatively engaged, as at 42, with the thrust bearing 20.

It will be obvious that, as the hand wheel 21 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed from the right of the figure, the associated end of the lever 39 will be movedto the right to shift the disc I9 to the right to expand the pulley I1, I9; and that, simultaneously, the associated end of the lever 33 will be shifted toward the left to move the disc I4 toward the right to contract the pulley I2, I4. 5

The shaft 28 may be rotated, if desired, to vary the tension of the belt 2|.

It will be seen that the construction herein disclosed is one which may be very readily assembled and disassembled, and which further has the advantage resident in the fact that the motor l0 and the hand wheel 21 are both presented in the same general direction from the unit; so that the unit may be positioned in substantial contact with a wall, or the like, while yet leaving both the motor and the hand wheel accessible.

I claim as my invention:

1. A variable-speed transmission unit comprising a screw shaft, a driving shaft, and a driven shaft journalled in at least two bearings and positioned between said screw shaft and said driving shaft, an expansible driving pulley mounted on said driving shaft and comprising a coned disc fixed to said driving shaft and a mating coned disc axially shiftable with respect thereto and readily removable from said shaft, an expansible driven pulley mounted on said driven shaft between said bearings and comprising a coned disc fixed to said driven shaft and a mating coned disc axially shiftable with respect thereto, an edge-active belt providing ,a driving connection between said pulleys, a lever pivoted intermediate its ends, one end of said lever being operatively associated with said driving shaft shiftable disc, and the other end of said lever being operatively associated with said screw shaft, and a second lever pivoted adjacent one end, the other end of said second'lever being operatively associated with said screw shaft, and said second lever being operatively associated, intermediate its ends, with said driven pulley shiftable disc.

2. A variable speed driving unit comprising a motor having a spindle, an expansible driving pulley mounted on said spindle and comprising a coned disc fixed to said spindle with its coned face presented away from said motor and a mating coned disc axially shiftable with respect ,thereto, a shaft substantially parallel with said motor spindle, a driven expansible pulley mount- ---ed on said shaft and comprising a coned disc fixed to said shaft with its coned face presented oppositely with respect to said driving pulley eratively associated with said screw shaft and the other end thereof being operatively associated with said driving pulley shiftable disc, a second fulcrum parallel with said first fulcrum and disposed in said'plane, and a second lever having one end pivotally mounted on said second fulcrum, the other end of said second lever being operatively associated with said screw shaft and said second lever being operatively associated, intermediate its ends, with said driven pulley shiftable disc.

3. A variable speed driving unit comprising a motor having a spindle,- an expansible driving pulley mounted on said spindle and comprising a coned disc fixed to said spindle with its coned face presented away from said motor, said disc being provided with an elongated hub projecting axially from its coned face, and a matingconed disc axially slidably mounted on said hub and readily removable from said hub and spindle, a shaft substantially parallel with said motor spindle and journalled in at least two bearings, a driven expansible pulley mounted on said shaft between said bearings and comprising a coned disc fixed to said shaft with its coned face presented oppositely with respect to said driving pulley fixed disc'and a mating coned disc axially shiftable with respect thereto, an edge active belt providing a driving connection between said pulleys, a screw shaft, and two pivoted levers, one of said levers providing an operative connection between said screw shaft and said driving pulley shiftable disc, and the other of said levers providing an operative connection between said screw shaft and saiddriven pulley shiftable disc.

PAUL B. REEVES. 

